[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71-72]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28691]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Availability; County Line Vegetation Management Project
Draft, Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, Rio Grande National Forest.
ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest
Service (USFS), Rio Grande National forest (RGNF) announces the
availability of the County Line Vegetation Management Project Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Draft EIS was prepared in
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations (40 CFR Parts
1500-1508). The EIS analyzes the environmental impacts of a proposal to
manage a spruce beetle infestation by performing up to 715 acres of
sanitation/salvage harvest and up to 841 acres of preventative
thinning. Timber harvest activities could produce from 22 to 29 MMBF of
spruce sawtimber. The action alternatives propose to realign 0.3 miles
of system road, to reconstruct from 10.7 to 15.6 miles of system roads
to construct 2.3 miles of temporary roads, and to close up to 2.3 miles
of open system road and convert it to a non-motorized trail. Three
alternatives are considered: (A) The No Action Alternative; (B) the
Proposed Action (Sanitation/salvage and preventative thinning); and (C)
Sanitation/Salvage.
DATES: USFS invites Federal agencies, state and local governments,
Native American tribes, and the public to comment on the Draft EIS. The
comment period extends from the publication of this Notice of
Availability until February 07, 2005. Written comments must be
submitted by February 07, 2005. Comments submitted after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable. The USFS will consider the
comments in the preparation of the Final EIS. Public meetings to
present information and receive written comments on the Draft EIS are
not planned at this time.
The following Web site may be accessed for additional information:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the Draft EIS or requests for
copies of the Draft EIS to Mr. John Murphy, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, USDA-USFS, Rio Grande National Forest, Public Lands Center,
1803 West Highway 160, Monte Vista, CO 81144. Electronic mail (e-mail)
may be sent to [email protected] and faxes
may be sent to (719) 852-6250.
A copy of the Draft EIS will be available on the Internet at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/riogrande/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Mr. John Murphy,
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, USDA-USFS, Public Lands Center (719)
852-6221. Refer to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION regarding public
disclosure of submitted comment information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rio Grande National Forest is comprised
of 1.86 million acres located in southwestern Colorado. Denver,
Colorado, is approximately 300 miles to the north of the RGNF, and
Albuquerque, New Mexico, is approximately 270 miles to the south. The
Continental Divide runs for 236 miles along most of the western border
of the RGNF. The County Line analysis Area is located about 15 miles
north-east of Chama, New Mexico on lands administered by the RGNF.
The spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) is the most significant
cause of mortality of mature Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii)
stands. Large-scale spruce beetle infestations in excess of 100,000
acres have occurred over the last 25 years in North America from Alaska
to Arizona.
The scope of spruce beetle outbreaks can be significant, at times
killing up to 80% or more of the mature spruce trees within a
watershed.
Many areas of the Rio Grande National Forest are currently
experiencing severe infestations of spruce beetle, including the County
[[Page 72]]
Line Analysis Area. Endemic spruce beetle populations usually live in
windthrown trees but as populations increase they may enter
susceptible, large diameter trees. Spruce stands are highly susceptible
to spruce beetle when they are on highly productive sites, have an
average diameter at breast height greater than 16 inches, have a basal
area greater than 150 square feet per acre, and are stands that are
predominantly spruce.
The Count Line area contains these types of stands which are most
susceptible to spruce beetle infestation. Significant spruce beetle
activity was first observed in the County Line Analysis Area during the
winter of 2003. Monitoring since then has shown spruce beetle
infestations spreading through many of the stands in the analysis area
at levels, which are resulting in significant spruce mortality. While
spruce beetle epidemics cannot be stopped, stand management can reduce
the adverse effects of beetle infestations and the resulting tree
mortality.
The responsible Official is the forest Supervisor, Rio Grande
National Forest, 1803 West Highway 160, Monte Vista, CO 81132. The NEPA
decision to be made by the USFS official is whether to perform
sanitation/salvage treatments to heavily impacted stands, whether to
perform preventive thinning to susceptible stands, and whether to close
2.1 miles of open system road and convert it to a non-motorized trail.
No Action: The No Action Alternative is the current USFS management
situation. Under this alternative, USFS would not treat stands
currently infested with spruce beetle, would not perform preventative
thing in susceptible stands, and would not close 2.1 miles of open
system road and convert it to a non-motorized trail.
Proposed Action: This alternative emphasizes forest health
restoration activities by managing spruce stands to create conditions
less favorable to the spread of spruce beetle, reducing the spruce
beetle population in the analysis area. This alternative proposes to
thin 715 acres of spruce-fir and to conduct sanitation/salvage harvest
on 841 acres. Trap trees would be utilized in the preventative thinning
areas. Following timber harvest activities 693 acres would be planted
to spruce. This alternative requires 5.1 miles of pre-haul maintenance,
1.8 miles of dust abatement, 15.6 miles of road reconstruction, 0.3
miles of road re-alignment, and 2.1 miles of road closure and
conversion to a non-motorized trail. From 24 to 29 MMBF of spruce
sawtimber would be harvested under this alternative.
Alternative C: This alternative addresses forest health restoration
activities by reducing the spruce beetle population in the analysis
area. This alternative proposes to conduct sanitation/salvage harvest
on 841 acres. Following timber harvest activities 693 acres would be
planted to spruce. This alternative requires 5.1 miles of pre-haul
maintenance, 1.8 miles of dust abatement, 10.7 miles of road
reconstruction and 0.3 miles of road re-alignment. From 22 to 25 MMBF
of spruce sawtimber would be harvested under this alternative.
Comments Requested
This Notice of Availabilitry initiates the public comment process
that guides the development of the Final EIS. The USFS invites written
comments and suggestions on the proposed action and alternatives,
including any issues to consider, as well as any concerns relevant to
the analysis. In order to be most useful, comments should be received
by February 07, 2005. Comments received in response to this notice,
including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered
part of the public record on this Proposed Action and will be available
for public inspection. If you wish to withhold your name or street
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), you must state this prominently at the
beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the
extent allowed by law, but persons requesting such confidentiality
should be aware that under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in
only very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The
USFS will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a
specified number of days. All submissions from organizations and
business, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be
available for public inspection in their entirety. Comments submitted
anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit
anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent
decision under 36 CFR Part 215. Upon completion of the Final EIS the
document will be provided to the public for review and comment.
Comments and USFS responses will be addressed and contained in the
Final EIS.
Dated: December 23, 2004.
Cindy Rivera,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 04-28691 Filed 12-30-04; 8:45 am]
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